A passenger pays his R5 entrance fee prior to getting inside the newly renovated South Bus Terminal in Cebu City.(CHERYL T. BALDICANTOS)

CEBU CITY – Bus operators plying southern routes in Cebu are airing complaints against the management and operation of the new South Bus Terminal, particularly the terminal fees charged deemed steep by the operators and the strict manner by which they feel the Terminal is being managed.

Former Provincial Bus Operators President Nick Villahermosa said he would raise these issues during a scheduled meeting of bus operators in Cebu soon. The operators are particularly critical of the P120 terminal fee which used to be only P60, and the five-minute time that buses are allowed to stay in the loading bay.

Villahermosa said there is also no need for a passenger waiting area because only few passengers use the South Bus Terminal. Passengers are currently charged P5 for the use of the waiting lounge.

Villahermosa said he is not against having a world-class terminal but he is asking that Capitol, which operates said terminal, should reconsider their policies particularly since bus operators are still currently affected by the economic crunch.

The newly renovated Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT), which was opened only last month, is supposed to give passengers ease and convenience in taking buses plying the southern Cebu routes. The Cebu Provincial Government hopes to generate revenues coming to P50 million from the CSBT in 2010. Such revenue will come from stall rentals, bus terminal fees, and the P5 entrance fee charged to passengers.

With the opening of the world-class, hi-tech, and air-conditioned terminal, CSBT Administrator Byron Garcia said passengers are assured of secure and convenient travel, minus overcrowding and fear of pickpockets because of the presence of security men in the terminal.

Meanwhile, Cebu City Mayor on-leave Tomas Osmeña would like to shut down the terminal, which is located along Natalio Bacalso Ave., because it is allegedly without a business permit.

Osmeña said he will ask City Attorney Joseph Bernaldez to make a study regarding its closure.

Acting City Treasurer Ofelia Oliva said that since 2001, which was when she assumed office for the first time, she cannot recall a time that said terminal had ever paid taxes.

Oliva explained that because the terminal is managed by a local government unit, the City may exempt the Province of Cebu from payment of a business permit. But, she said, the terminal management should secure a permit from the Mayor’s Office.